Thursday, April 19, 2018

The Summer 2018 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine is now available and it features 16 beautiful projects that are perfect for summer stitching! And on page 74 you can find the pattern for my scrappy little quilt, My Favorite Things.

I named this quilt My Favorite Things because in incorporates some of my favorite blocks and fabric colors in one tidy little package. My Favorite Things is a stash-friendly weekend project and a great skill-builder for a beginning quilter.

And if you're wondering what My Favorite Things might look like in a lighter colorway, here it is in a springy palette with cream sashing and robin's egg blue binding...

or with green sashing and binding.

Here it is in a two-color palette...

and in a monochromatic palette (kind of love this one!).

Endless possibilities — my favorite kind of quilt!

If you'd like to give My Favorite Things a try, I'm giving away two copies of the Summer 2018 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects. To enter the giveaway, head over to Instagram and tag a friend in the comments section of the contest photo. I'll pick two winners on Sunday 4/22! Sorry, the Giveaway is now closed.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Longing for spring? The weather outside is still frightful here in New England, but here's a fun weekend project that sure to lift your spirits!

It's my Spring Candy mini quilt!

Spring Candy is based on my Christmas Candy Moda Bake Shop tutorial. This little quilt is made in exactly the same way, but I've substituted a mini charm pack of "Hazelwood" fabric by One Canoe Two and changed up the embroidery for spring.

I remember my mom teaching me the phrase "March winds, April showers, bring forth May flowers" when I was a child and I thought this project was the perfect opportunity to stitch the rhyme. I embroidered the lettering, flowers and vines using two strands of embroidery floss and a backstitch and the little buds at the ends of the vines are French knots. I love how this mini quilt turned out. The colors of the "Hazelwood" fabrics make me happy just to look at them, and the stitching takes it over the top!

And finally, if you'd prefer to turn your Spring Candy quilt into a pillow, here's a link to my original post for Halloween Candy, the Halloween version of this project, that contains pillow instructions.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Heartland is a 28" square wall quilt featuring easy log cabin blocks and simple wool appliqué. You can find the pattern for this warm and scrappy project in the spring issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine, currently available wherever quilting magazines are sold. And if you like handwork, this is the issue for you! There are more than a dozen beautiful projects featuring appliqué, wool appliqué and embroidery.

Here's the story behind Heartland...

I love log cabin blocks! They're so much fun to make and so versatile! Usually my favorite layout for log cabin blocks is the barn raising pattern, probably because it was the pattern that I used for my very first log cabin quilt. Here's a pic:

Barn Raising - 48" x 48"

For Heartland, I wanted to try to use the strong diagonal lines of log cabin blocks to make a different secondary pattern, in this case a Sawtooth Star with a diamond center. I used narrow logs — 1" wide unfinished — so that the "line" between the dark and light fabrics would seem smoother. It meant cutting a lot of strips, but it also meant that I got to include a lot of different fabrics and I love the resulting sparkle.

The star layout that I chose also provided me the perfect opportunity to embellish some of the negative space with wool appliqué — another of my favorites! I chose simple shapes and wools that echoed the color palette of the pieced blocks.

Once I'd finished the quilt top, I got a little hung up trying to figure out how to quilt Heartland. It took me almost a year to hand quilt my first log cabin quilt and even though I love how it looks, I didn't want to take that on again. My long arm quilter and I discussed machine quilting it, but realized that it might be difficult to see a quilted pattern on this particular quilt. In the end, I machine quilted it myself on a regular sewing machine by stitching in the ditch between each block and along the diagonal lines between the dark and tan prints. I also machine quilted along the outside edge of the wool appliqués. Much easier than doing it by hand!

I love how Heartland turned out! It's got a warm, vintage feel and the color palette of blue, green, red and plum is perfect for spring or summer. But wouldn't it be great for fall with warm tones of red, rust, orange and brown? Or for winter with blues ranging from gray blue to navy set against a backdrop of warm white prints? So many possibilities!!

Thursday, January 25, 2018

I've had some questions about how to make a larger version of Home Tweet Home, my latest Moda Bake Shop tutorial, using charm squares (5") rather than mini charm squares (2½"). If you're interested, here's some rough math to help you out.

I'd love to see what a bigger version of this quilt looks like and I may even try one myself! One reader suggested appliquéing a black circle to the larger birdhouses rather than using buttons — great idea Cheryl! Don't forget to tag me @JenDalyQuilts if you share your quilts on Instagram or Facebook!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

I know we still have two months of winter left, but somehow I can't help looking ahead to spring. And in honor of the sweetest season, here's what I've been working on:

It's Home Tweet Home, my latest Moda Bake Shop tutorial. This sweet quilt finishes at 15½" square. You'll need a mini charm pack, a bit of yardage and 16 little buttons to make Home Tweet Home and you can find detailed instructions as well as plenty of how-to photos free at the Moda Bake Shop.

I made my little quilt with "Lilac Ridge" by Jan Patek Quilts. Her shades of lavender, green, brown and cream are perfect for spring—soft, lovely and warm.

But if you're wondering what Home Tweet Home would look like in a different color palette, here are a couple of ideas that I think are equally cute. Each is inspired by a current or upcoming Moda fabric collection.

Mama's Cottage by April Rosenthal available now

Provencal by American Jane available in February

Whichever you choose, I hope you have fun making Home Tweet Home. And if you share your little quilts on Instagram or Facebook, please tag me @JenDalyQuilts—I'd love to see what you're up to!